FICTION

SHORT STORIES ORGANIZED BY RELEASE DATE (Most recent first)                                                                                                                                                                                                       

MIDWESTERN GOTHIC, “A FRESH LIFE”Issue #2, July 2011

“A Fresh Life” is about a woman in her early thirties whose first funeral and shiva she has to attend is her mother’s, who was a local Martha-Stewart-esque celebrity, adding to the crazed sensation of the one-day shiva that the family is willing to observe.

MONKEYBICYCLE, “THE MESSENGER” June 2011

The last day of a childhood friendship is documented in “The Messenger” when one friend makes the bad decision to give the other some very awkward news.

THE DRUM LITERARY MAGAZINE, “DAVID” May 2011 (audio recording!) 

From The Drum’s editors: In Nina Badzin’s short story “David,” a post-delivery hospital room is the setting for a skirmish between husband and wife as they debate their new son’s name. The decision is rife with social, cultural, and religious implications, seeming to set husband and wife apart even as it brings mother and child together.

THE POTOMAC: A Journal of Poetry and Politics, “THE SAFETY WIFE” May 2011.

“The Safety Wife” is about a woman who finds out her husband’s boss has unusual plans for her future, making her wonder if everyone has a plan B for their romantic lives.

THE PEDESTAL MAGAZINE, “PICKY EATERS” April 2011

“Picky Eaters” is about the subtle competition between mothers—in this case a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law who both have sons with challenging eating habits.

INDEPENDENT INK MAGAZINE, “THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY” April 2011  

“The Pleasure of Your Company” is about a young mother named Mara attending her childhood best friend’s wedding. The wedding gives Mara and her husband an excuse for a much-needed weekend without the kids since they haven’t been alone “together” in a long time. A glitch arrives in the form of the bride’s father for whom Mara has harbored a problematic crush since high school.

SLEET MAGAZINE, “SON” Summer & Fall 2010 Nominated for a Pushcart Prize

“Son”, a story about the complicated relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, takes places on the morning when the mother-in-law has tricked the daughter-in-law into attending an over-eaters’ addiction group called S.O.N. (Stop Overeating Now). While on the surface their relationship seems hostile, we see a tenderness between them that the daughter-in-law cannot find with her own mother when she needs it most.

LITERARY MAMA, “DAVID” March 2010 (First published as “Naming the Boy” in the print journal Talking Stick)

SCRIBBLERS ON THE ROOF, “A FRESH LIFE” February 2010 (Also a Glimmer Train finalist)